In January 2013 Halifax launched a 12-month fee-free overdraft offer designed to attract current account switchers. Halifax already has a successful track record in winning customers from its rivals, and by targeting a consumer segment that other providers have tended to ignore, it will continue to increase its share of the market.

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Banks are under pressure to increase their capital ratios, but with little room to maneuver on interest rates, they have to come up with innovative means of attracting deposits. The Halifax Savers Prize Draw offers customers the chance to win prizes worth up to GBP100,000 every month, but consumers should be wary.

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Handelsbanken has grown its presence in the UK over the last year. Its decentralized business model has aided this, along with its high customer satisfaction and loyalty levels. While competitors will struggle to recreate Handelsbanken's model exactly, providers should be looking to it to identify ways in which they can build a more sustainable approach to banking.

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By 2009, the low carb trend will be but a distant memory for the food industry and consumers alike. Cholesterol-reducing products, meanwhile, are set for a boom in growth. These are the conclusions of a survey of 1,250 food and drinks industry executives from around the globe, conducted by Reuters Business Insight...

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Heinz has redesigned the label on its ketchup to raise the product's connection with tomatoes and quality ingredients in the hope that this will boost its appeal to increasingly health-conscious consumers. With a marketing campaign set to start in spring when consumption of grilled and outdoor food begins to pick up, this repositioning could also help Heinz to compete against cheaper alternatives.

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BNP Paribas has shown that it understands the need to combine the benefits of a digital-only offering with the reassurance customers gain from a branch network. Banks will need to take this digital-first rather than digital-only approach until customers are ready to let go of the branch.

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BoI has used contract small print to substantially raise the interest rates of some of its base-rate tracker mortgages. BoI told customers that the cost of funding mortgages has increased due to higher capital requirements. This move risks customer upset and reputational damage. Competitors with a similar opportunity should raise capital through less controversial routes.

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The uptake of mobile payment tools is highly varied on a global level. In Hong Kong, consumer demand is strong, but a lack of developments is threatening to inhibit the sector's growth. Further investment is needed if the industry is to move forward under a unified infrastructure.

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The global economic downturn has resulted in a world of stress-overloaded consumers. Global respondents to Datamonitor's 2014 Consumer Survey placed stress second on a list of 47 health concerns, with 45% of the global population saying that they are concerned about it right now. Globally, consumers are desperately in need of de-stressing.